Doughnut machine



July 19, 1949. p, J, TQEWS 2,476,467 v DOUGHNUT' MACHINE FIG.|

|NvENToR PETER J. ToEws ATTORNEYS July 1.9, 1949. P.- J. ToEws 2,476,467A DOUGHNUT MACHINE Filed Sept. 15, 1947 l 2 Sheets-sheet 2 PETE-R J.Tol-:ws

60 zf ATTORN s feiert. ruwe, .innata Dough-Kfngg. Inc.,

ota

pola/Miam, assenti ltiiinapnls, Minn., a our;l

Application septemer 13, 1947, serial N. 773,769

My invention relates to doughnut machines of the type having a kettleconstructed With a channel forming a Way in which the `doughnuts areprogressed along yby the owof the cooking liquid and in which thecooking iiquid is discharged from the Way through 'an out-let and into areservoir through a screen and from which 'reservoir the cooking liquidis pumpedback int'o the Way through an inlet.

An 'object of the invention resides in providing a doughnut machine ofVvsucntypi-- in which the doughnuts are caused 'to travel along the waywithout crowding. y

Another -object of th'einventibn resides impro# vi'ding a doughnutmachine of 'such type in which a predetermined Vheight cf the ckingliquid 'may 'be maintained in 'the way under 'all operating conditionsof the machine.

f A s'till further object `'f the invention resides in providing adoughnut-machine having a charn-r ber in which the elevation ci tll'eliquid corr'L sponds to the height 'of the ii'quid in tli' Way.

Another object of the invention resides in uti'-y iizing a portion ofthe reservoir f me d'cgiitnut machine "as such chamber arid inutilizingA the elvation of the liquid in `said chamber to Vc'ontrol theheight of th'e liquid in said 'Wa'y l A still further object 'of thinvention fr'side'sin providing a by-'pa'ss con-'ne ting said reser'ifirwith sai'd Way intermediate 'tl ends thereo, said by-pass conducting aportinn of the 'cooking liquid into said Iresent/oir pa'sl; 'the screen.

A jfeature df the invent'i resides 1n lconstruct` ing the Way with 'alo'dp lying' along zrsaid reservoir and in arranging said 'bij-i) tcconduct the liquid from said lo'p and tb said -e ir.

4A'n object of the i venti' Vresides 1n construct;-V ing the Wall ofJ"said kettle between fsa-'id loop and reservoir vv'i'th 'ancpi'Srlilla` and in pro'i/ idin-"g faiI closure for said opening saidvclosure 'having tli'e bi1-pass lformed ther f 4Othe'iobjects "of -tV-en novel combination and afrran'p in the details of cnlstructicn tratedand/or described;

Fig. 1 is a plan sectional tietv of a doughnut machine illustrating anembodiment of my in-A vention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sect'icnal tied/ fof the doughnut machine taken-cn une2:2 of Fig. 1 and uratvii to a greater s'cal.

Fig-.3 is a cross sectional View similar -to Fig'. 2 and't'aken cn line'3 3 "i 1.

"bi1-:feste the metter sans are-ic hereinafter iliusvvaycauses alowering 'of the elevation. of the; cooking liquid inthe reservoir. Whenthe elpee.

, and a superstructure II einer pests 153-, s

' to 4 the turner parts will novv be described in Fig l is a perspectiveView of the screen of the doughnut machine. l L

In the operation of doughnutmachine in which the doughnutsarevprogressed along a way'b-.v means ofthe ow 'of thecooking liquid andWhere the Vcooking liquid is discharged from the way through a screenand -into a reservoir, it ire; quently yoccurs that the screen becomespartly filled rwith crumbs and the discharge through the screen isreducedto an extent such that theV height of the liquid inv the Wayincreases appref; ciabl-y. Where a turner operated by the flowof thecooking liquid is used` and Where control devices forA controlling theentry of the doughnuts and ejector are employed sucndei vices often failto operate properly when the height of the cooking liquid is abovenormaLfA vraising f the height of the cooking liquid in the vation ofthe cooking liquid in the reservoir `is utilized to control thereplacement of the co'oking liquid consumed; such lowering of the elevation Yof the cooking vliquid in the reservoir pro-` dupes undesiredintroductionoi additional coiokL ing liquid in the kettle which furtherincreases the height of the cooking liquid in the Way and aggravates thefault-y operation of the turn'ei and control devices. The instantinvention 'oi/eri comes these diculties byl providing a by-pass wherebya certain portion of the liquid circulatev ing through the way isreturned to the reservoir independently of the( screen to maintain theproper elevation of the liquid in the reservoir with reference to theheight of the liquid in the Way;

Fr the purpose of illustrating the application of my invention I haveshown in the4 drawings?.v doughnut machine A `Which consists vof a base1'0 resting on the same. Said doughnut machine further includes acooking kettlel I2 in Which the raw doughnuts are placed and 'in whichVthe same are cooked and progressed as the cooking occurs'. Thesevari-ous detail. n The base Ill `may consist of any suitable frame;-Work 'on Which the kettle Ig is supported and Which [may include angleframe members I3 attached to suitable legs not illustrated; Brackets I4are secured to the frame members port the kettle through lugs I5 formedon underside there'f. Boltsjl extend through the brackets I4 and arescrewed into the lugs I5.

The superstructure I includesa number-.of

ivith 'slct's 57 in 'which panes 'f glass 5l!l are slid# I3 vand sup-575 Vand 56 which are provided panes form side walls to thesuperstructure and allow the operator to view the operation of thedoughnut machine. A top is also utilized with the superstructure IIwhich is supported on the posts 53, 54, 55 and 56 and which has not beenshown in the drawings.

The kettle I2 consists of a plate-like portion or top I1 which has achannel I8 in the same. This channel is elongated and circuitous in formand provides a way along which the cooking liquid travels. The channelI8 has side walls 2I and a bottom I9 which are co-extensive with theably mounted. These length of the same. The kettle I2 has one corner.

of the same removed as designated at 22 leaving a main portion 23 of thewidth of the base I0 and of less length than the same. This constructionprovides an extension 24 which extends up to the end of the base I0.

The way I8 of the kettle I2 is arranged to provide a straight run 25which commences in close proximity to the end of the extension 24 andwhich extends parallel with the kettle substantially throughout thelength of the same. Said way at the end of the run 25 makes a curve 28which leads into a transverse run 21 disposed parallel to the oppositeend of the kettle. This latter run connects with a curve 21 which inturn is connected to a straight run 29 parallel with the run I8 andextending in the opposite direction. The run 29 is connected to a loop3| which in turn is connected to a transverse run 32 parallel to the run21. This run is connected to a curve 33 which in turn is connected to astraight run 34 lying alongside the run 25 and parallel to the same. Therun 34 discharges through an outlet 30 into a reservoir 35 `whichcontains the excess cooking liquid. From this reservoir a short run 36is employed which is connected by means of a curve 31 to the run 25. Thevarious runs of the way I8 pitch downwardly in the direction 'end wall62, and side walls 63 devices 5I and 52 are employed which allow thedoughnuts one at a time to enter the turner 41 and the ejector 48 intime sequence.

The control devices 5I and 52, the doughnut cutter and all of the otherparts of the invention are operated by means of a transmission disposedwithin a case 49 situated in the corner 22 of kettle I2. Thistransmission and other operating parts of the doughnut. machine formingno particular feature of the'invention have not been shown in detail inthe drawings.

In the reservoir 35 and in the end of the run 34Y of way I8 is disposeda screen 59 best shown in Fig. 4. This screen comprises a bottom 6 I,and all of reticulate material. The two side walls 63 have lips 64 whichengage the wall 39 of kettle I2 previously referred to `and also thewall 2l at the end of the channel 34, of said kettle. All of the cookingliquid passing through the run 34 of the way I8 and through the outlet30 passes through the said n screen and is discharged through the wallsthereof and into said reservoir.

In the wall 2| of the loop 3'I of way I8 and in the particular portionthereof located adjacently 1 the reservoir 35 is formed an opening 61.For the of `their extent so that the reservoir is at a lower elevationthan the run 36. In between the said reservoir and run is provided awall 38 which is formed partly by the walls 2| of the kettle proper andby means of another wall 39 best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. This well hasan opening 40 which serves as an inlet to the run 25. An opening 4I inthis wall brings the reservoir 35 into communication with the well 38.In the bottom I9 of the kettle I2 and disposed in the reservoir 35 is adrain 15 by means of which the cooking liquid in the kettle isconveniently removed therefrom. y 1

In the well 38 is provided an impeller 42 which is attached to a shaft43 mounted in a tubular housing 44. Housing 44 is supported on a table'45 which covers the extension I1 of the kettle I2. Shaft 43 is driven byan electric motor or by any other suitable means such as now is wellknown in the art. Impeller 42 raises the liquid from the reservoir wayI8 through the inlet40 whereby circulation of the cooking liquid alongthe way is procured.

Raw doughnuts are fed into the way I8 at the beginning of `the run 25 bymeans of any suitable doughnut cutter. In Fig. l the discharge nozzle ofa doughnut machine is indicated in dotted lines at 46. It can readily becomprehended that the doughnut cutter and associated structure may besupported on the table 45 in any suitable manner.

In the run 29 of the way I8 is provided a turner 41 by means of whichthe doughnuts are inverted. An ejector 48 is disposed in the run 34 andremoves the cooked doughnuts from the machine. To time the operationofthe machine, two control is sensitiveto variation in elevation.

35 and discharges it into the run 380i 'Y purpose of simplifying thecasting of the kettle this opening is formed throughout the height ofthe way I8. The said opening is partially closed by means of a closure68 which is made from a sheet of metal curved to conform in shape to thecurvature of the loop 3l at the locality of the same in which theopening E1 is formed. This closure has a slot 69 in the lowermostportion of the same and which forms a by-pass through which a portion ofthe cooking liquid passing along the run 3I of way I8 may ow directlyinto the reservoir 35 in a manner to by-pass the screen 59. The closure68 has a flange 1I formed on the same which overlies the top I1 of thekettle I2. A screWr12 passes through the said flange and is threadedinto said top and serves to hold the closure 68 in proper position. Itwill be readily seen from Fig. l that the closure B8 forms acontinuation of the wall of the run 3| in which the opening 61 is formedwhereby` causing the doughnuts to follow along said run in the samemanner as if the opening 51 had been omitted.

In conjunction with doughnut machines of the type illustrated it becomeshighly desirable to supply additional cooking liquid to the kettle asthe cooking liquid is absorbed by the doughnuts. For this purpose theelevation of the cooking liquid in a portion of the cooking kettle isutilized and one of several control devices employed which One of thesedevices consists o f a thermostat which relies on the difference intemperature between that of the hot cooking liquidand the temperature ofthe air above the liquid for actuation. One such device is indicated at13 and Fig. 1 and is attached to the wall 39 by means of screws 14. Thisdevice is mounted in the compartment B6 where the elevation of thecooking liquid bears a denite relation to the height of the cookingliquid in the Way I8. This device is electrically operated and controlsa suitable valve leading from a cooking liquid tank to cause the cookingliquid to enter the way I8 and to bring the height of the cooking liquidin said way up to the proper elevation. If desired a oat or othersimilar device may be similarly employed. Such devices being old in theart have not been shown in detail in the application.

The operation of the invention is as follows:

In normal operation the impeller 42 raises the cooking liquid from thereservoir 35 to the run 36 where the cooking liquid lows by gravitythroughout the various runs and returns to the said reservoir throughthe screen 59. A portion of the cooking liquid, however, by-passes thesaid screen and passes through the by-pass 69 into the said reservoir.Should the bottom 6I of the screen 59 become covered with crumbs asuitable amount of cooking liquid would not pass through the screen andthe elevation of the cooking liquid in the way 34 would rise untilenough additional area of the walls 62 and 63' of said screen becameavailable for passage of the cooking liquid into the reservoir. Thiswould increase the height of the cooking liquid in the way I8 and at thesame time lower the elevation of said cooking liquid in the reservoir35. By the use of the by-pass 69 such a situation would not arise sincea suicient amount of cooking liquid would pass through the said by-passand into the reservoir 35 and by-pass the screen 59. Thus, the elevationof the liquid in the reservoir 35 varies in accordance with the heightof the liquid in the way I8 and by the periodic addition of the properamount of cooking liquid a constant elevation of the same may bemaintained in the way I8.

The advantages of the invention are manifest. Applicants inventioneliminates all irregularities in the propulsion of the doughnuts bymeans of flow of the cooking liquid. With applicants invention thedevice for supplying additional cooking liquid can be made to furnishexactly the amount of cooking liquid required. With applicants inventionthe height of the cooking liquid in the way can be made to remainsubstantially constant regardless of the amount of crumbs or foreignmatter filling the screen at the outlet of the way. My invention isextremely simple in construction and positive in operation and will notcause trouble.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein described, maybemade within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. In a doughnut machine a kettle having a channel therein containing acooking liquid and forming a way along which doughnuts may travel, areservoir in said kettle, an inlet from said reservoir to the beginningof said channel, an outlet from the end of said channel to saidreservoir, means for impelling the ilow of cooking liquid along saidchannel, and a passageway between said channel and said reservoirlocated intermediate said inlet and outlet.

2. In a doughnut machine a kettle having a channel therein containing acooking liquid and forming a way along which doughnuts may travel, areservoir in said kettle, an inlet from said reservoir to the beginningof said channel, an outlet from the end of said channel to saidreservoir, means for impelling the flow of cooking liquid along saidchannel, and a passageway between said channel and said reservoirlocated intermediate said inlet and outlet, said passageway having lessvolumetric ow than said outlet.

3. In a doughnut machine a kettle having a channel therein containing aIcooking liquid and forming a way along which doughnuts may travel, areservoir in said kettle, an inlet from said reservolr to the beginningof said channel, an outlet from the end of said channel to saidreservoir, means for impelling the i'low of cooking liquid along saidchannel, a screen between said outlet intermediate the inlet and outletand disposed adjacent said reservoir and a passageway between said runand said reservoir.

5. In a doughnut machine a kettle having a channel therein containing acooking liquid and forming a way along which doughnuts may travel, areservoir in said kettle, an inlet from said reservoir to the beginningof said channel, an outlet from the end of said channel to saidreservoir, means for impelling the ilow of cooking liquid along saidchannel, said channel having a run intermediate the inlet and outletadjacent said reservoir and separated therefrom by a wall, and apassageway through said wall bringing said run into communication withsaid reservoir.

6. In a doughnut machine a kettle having a channel therein containing acooking liquid and forming a way along which doughnuts may travel, areservoir in said kettle, an inlet from said reservoir to the beginningof said channel, an outlet from the end of said channel to saidreservoir, means for impelling the ow of cooking liquid along saidchannel, said channel having a curved run with the outermost wallthereof adjacent said reservoir and a passageway through said wall andbringing said run into communication with said reservoir.

7. In a doughnut machine a kettle having a channel therein containing acooking liquid and forming a way along which doughnuts may travel, areservoir in said kettle, an inlet from said reservoir to the beginningof said channel, an outlet from the end of said channel to saidreservoir, means for impelling the flow of cooking liquid along saidchannel, said channel having a run intermediate the inlet and outletadjacent said reservoir and separated therefrom by a wall, a passagewaythrough said wall bringing said run into communication with saidreservoir, said wall having an opening therein, a closure for saidopening forming a continuation of said Wall and a passageway in saidclosure bringing said run into communication with said reservoir.

8. In a doughnut machine a kettle having a channel therein containing acooking liquid and forming a way along which doughnuts may travel, areservoir in said kettle, an inlet from said reservoir to the beginningof said channel, an outlet from the end of said channel to saidreservoir, means for impelling the flow of cooking liquid along saidchannel, said channel having a loop intermediate the inlet and outletand disposed adjacent said reservoir and a passageway between said loopand said reservoir.

PETER. J. TOEWS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Y Name Date 1,629,355 Morrow May 17, 19271,690,104 Denz et al. Nov. 6, 1928 2,208,877 Caswell et al. July 23,1940

